The Rules of Survival Chapter 11 Summary

The Breakup

  • Things start going downhill around Labor Day. It's obvious that Murdoch is distancing himself from Nikki, because she keeps calling him and leaving messages but he doesn't call her back.
  • On Labor Day weekend, Nikki takes the kids over to Murdoch's house. At first they're excited, but then they realize that he wasn't expecting them… and that Nikki is pushing the kids off on Murdoch for the weekend while she goes out and parties it up.
  • Nikki disappears for days, and Matthew has to tell Murdoch that this has happened before. Murdoch takes them to the beach, has a barbeque with the kids, and watches movies with them… but it's clear that his heart isn't in it.
  • Finally, after days away, Nikki shows up on Wednesday. And Murdoch looks at her like she's a piece of garbage, which makes Matthew feel pretty garbage-like, too.